gereckey



No. 6l8,566. Patent-ed Jan. 3|, I899.

' w. GERECKEY.

METALLIC RAILROAD TIE AND RAIL FAS TENER; (Applimtion filed Sept. 17, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS W. JlERECKEY, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF TWVO-FIFTHS TO ANDREW O. SOHAFER, OF SAME PLACE.

METALLIC RAILROAD-TIE AND RAlL-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,566, dated January 31, 1899.

Application filed September 17, 1898. Serial No. 691,240. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Louis W. GEREOKEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metallic Railroad-Ties and Rail-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in metallic railroad-ties and rail-fasteners; and it consists in the construction of the tie and means for connecting the rail thereto, as will be hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, the rail being shown in dotted lines above the tie and in full lines beyond the same and the bed-plate, this form being intended to support the adjacent ends of a rail. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the tie and rail-support. Fig. 3 is a perspective View showing one formof construction used to connect an intermediate portion of the rail to the tie and bed-plate, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tie and rail-fastening.

In the drawings, A designates a metallic tie having vertical side walls A, in the upper edges of whichare formed recesses with undercut side Walls, the bases of the recesses being parallel with the upper edges of the tie and of a greater length on one side than on the other.

The rail-chair or bed-plate B is preferably made of steel and is tapered, having on both sides, near its opposite ends, shoulders I) b, which abut against the side walls of the tie and centrally, so as to be out of line with the shoulders. The rail-chair or base-plate is provided with apertures b b for the passage therethrough of pins b, which. engage the side walls of the tie and hold the chair or bed-plate against movement when placed in position. The upper portions of the apertures b b are beveled or countersunk, so that the heads of the locking-pins maylie flush or below the upper portion of the chair or bedplate, and the locking-pins are provided with holes through which are passed cotter-pins N, which will prevent the removal of the pins when the rail is not upon the chair.

The rail-chairs or bed-plates B have near their edges, adjacent to their wider ends, apertures b, which register with apertures near the ends of wedges, which carry rail-clamps, as will be hereinafter set forth.

The chairs of bed-plates B are of greater thickness at the center than at the edges and are so shaped as to provide beneath the baseflange of the rails yielding or spring portions B B, upon which the rails rest, said portions being integral with the steel chair or bedplate, the ends being positioned above the center portion of the tie. The spring 'or yielding portions or members of the chair or bed-plateproject a suitable distance above the otherwise plain surface of the central portion of the chair, and the upper parts of these spring or yielding portions B are flattened where they engage with the rail, the ends or terminals being at substantially right angles with said flattened upper faces, so that when the projecting ends of the yielding or spring members of the chair are depressed by the passage of a car over the rails the ends of the spring or yielding parts B B of the bedplate may abut or engage with a port-ion of the chair to limit the downward movement of the parts B.

I11 Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have shown the spring members B as projecting toward each other, so that the free ends will abut when depressed to a. point below or on a plane with the other portions of the bedplate, the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 being designed for use where the ends of the rails meet over the chair or bed-plate, and

in said construction the spring members are separated by a solid portion and the wedges each carry a pair of rail-clamps for engagement with the ends of the rail. In instances where the rails do not meet over the chair but one set of springs are provided in the bedplate, and these springs may be placed longitudinally or transversely, as desired.

In Figs. 3 and lof the drawings the springs 5 13' project at right angles with the length of the chair or bed-plate, and in this instance the ends of the spring are positioned so as to abut against the vertical walls of the chair when the springs reach the limit of their I00 downward movement, the vertical ends of the springs abutting against the vertical inner walls of the chair. The base-plates B are cut away or hollowed out beneath the spring portions, so that the grouting or packing which is placed in the tie will not get under the springs and prevent the effective operation of the same, said construction also providing for reducing the ends of the spring portions,which are thinner at their free ends than where they join the chair.

To retain the rail in place upon the chairs or bed-plates, I use wedges O 0, having beveled edges 0 c, which engage with the beveled or undercut edges of the raised central portion of the bed-plate and the undercut ends of the recesses in the tie. The longitudinal outer edges of the wedges taper, while the other edge is straight, to engage with the straight and parallel undercut side walls of the bed-plate. The wider ends of the wedges O C have apertures therethrough which register with the apertures b and through these apertures are passed pins 0 which prevent longitudinal displacement of the wedges. The wedges G 0 have attached thereto or formed integral therewith rail clamps or lugs O, which are so shaped that they will overlie the base-flange of the rail, as well as the edges of the raised central portion of the bed-plate. By the construction herein shown and described Iprovide a metallic tie and rail clamp which can be readily applied and one which has the requisite amount of resiliency and do entirely away with the use of wood in the construction of the way.

Having thus described my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific construction of the form of spring herein shown, as numerous modifications of the same can be evolved from what is shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A rail-chair or bed-plate having integral yielding or spring portions which project above the major upper surface of the chair or bed-plate, in combination with means for attaching the bed-plate to a tie and means for holding the rail in engagement. with the bed plate for the purpose set forth.

2. In a rail-support, the combination with a metallic tie, of a metallic bed-plate provided with integral spring portions having vertical ends for engagement with a part of the bedplate to limit the downward movement of the spring portions, as set forth.

3. In combination with a metallic tie, a rail support or chair attached thereto, of wedges which engage with the tie and rail-support, the wedges having rail-clamps or lugs which overlie the rail support or chair and the baseflange of the rail, substantially as shown.

4. The combination with a metallic railwaytie having vertical side walls and undercut recesses therein, a base-plate having a raised central portion with undercut edges, wedges having clamps which engage the base-flange of the rail and overlie the edges of the raised central portion of the bed-plate, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a metallic railwaytie, a bed-plate having integral spring portions B B, the upper faces of the outer ends thereof being flattened to engage the rail and means for limiting the downward movement of said spring portions; together with railclamps, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with a metallic railwaytie, abed-plate secured thereto, said bed-plate having integral spring portions B, the bedplate being cut away so as to provide recesses beneath said integral spring portions and wedges adapted to engage with the bed-plate and tie, the wedges carrying rail-clamps, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS W. GEREOKEY.

Witnesses:

WILL O. UNFUG, J. M. METZLER. 

